Grieving mum’s drive to raise ‘cuddle cot’ funds

A CHILDCARE worker is campaigning to help the parents of stillborn children, after experiencing her own loss.

Rochelle Lundie and her partner Ritchie are fundraising to buy a cuddle cot to donate to a hospital in need, in memory of their son Aiden.

The family from Baillieston, were given the devastating news in October that their son’s heart had stopped beating, 35 weeks into the pregnancy.

After experiencing first-hand how important cuddle cots are to bereaved families, Rochelle and Ritchie decided to raise money so that other families could use them.

The 28-year-old described the time she was able to spend with Aiden as ‘treasured’.

Being able to use one of the cots at the Princes Royal Maternity unit allowed the family to create lifelong memories with their beloved son, grandson and nephew.

Cuddles cots, also known as a cold cot, cools the baby and prolongs the amount of time parents can spend with their stillborn infant.

Speaking of her experience, Rochelle said: “Until Aiden was born, none of us had any knowledge of a cuddle cot, but thanks to the mar- vellous piece of equipment we were able to spend 60 hours with Aiden at our side.

“We spent time holding and cuddling him, talking to him about the dreams and aspirations we had for him. We got to take so many precious photos of our perfect little angel so we can always look back and see how beautiful he was.

“With help from the midwife and staff at the hospital, we were able to help wash and dress our little boy, have a naming ceremony for him and also get copies of his hand and foot prints.”

Rochelle’s dad Pat and brother Ryan will be doing a skydive on February 25 with the aim of raising enough money to buy a cuddle cot to donate to a hospital in Aiden’s name.

The family have raised more than £1,000 towards their target but are encouraging others to donate to keep Aiden’s name alive and help other families who have had the same experience.

Any additional money raised will go towards the making of memory boxes which allow families to be given precious memories such as their childs hand and footprints and teddies.

To donate, visit: https://www. justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ rochelle-lundie-1